Pink and Black for Julianna

I made this Tunic and Flared Leggings set for Julianna (age 5). She will be starting the first grade soon! The next time I see Julianna and her little sister, I'll take some pics of them modeling their new outfits. The patterns for this outfit are redesigned drafts of *Ottobre Design* styles.

I've been busy!

...but unfortunately not sewing much.  I am developing a brand new style of interfacing, getting the remainder of last week's orders shipped, and then taking a few much needed days off.

However I did manage to find a little time yesterday to sew this dress for little Brooklyn, age two...

This is not one of my designs, it is from a Pattern Designer on Etsy...  

Ruby Jean's Closet.

The patterns she designs are easy enough for beginners, and more experienced sewists can easily see where to use more sophisticated techniques...like interfacing the facings and edge-stitching the bodice and straps. And on this dress I made it easier for Brooklyn's mommy on washing day, by edge-stitching both the inner and outer edges of the front pleat....that way it stays "pleated" with no ironing :)

Mojo/Sewjo is back!

Thank-goodness my sewing slump has passed...I was beginning to think that this beastly hot and humid summer had finally defeated me! But this past week, just as shirt orders for clients were starting to come in, I took some time to design and draft the pattern for a new dress for Julianna, age 4.  It's made from cotton coordinates from Fabric.com, and a "deconstructed then reconstructed" wire-stem silk flower from the dollar store :) If anyone is interested in how I use these silk flowers on clothing and how to make them totally washable, how to assemble them, etc...let me know in the comments section, and I'll do a quick tutorial for you :)

After I make a couple of new outfits for Julianna's little sister, it's back to shirt sewing full-time!  I have some ideas for new shirt design details, and in the upcoming weeks I'll also be showing you some ways to make a regular shirt pattern into a slim-cut version.

But first, I really MUST clean my sewing studio...I have been so lazy this summer!  I swear, if I haven't touched it within 24  months (that sounds so much better than 2 years, doesn't it?)...anyway...fabric not touched within 24 months? Out it goes!  As one of my Facebook friends asked recently, Do you ever feel that it will take nothing less than a bulldozer when it comes to clearing your sewing spaces?  Or am I the only fabric hoarder collector out here ?

Sometimes I need Ruffles...

I love my profession as a ShirtMaker...I truly do. But sometimes I just need to take a break to sew something whimsical.   This dress is one of my original designs...drafted by hand. It is a simple design, so the drafting was fast, fun, and easy...and the sewing was a delight.  Especially since it is for a little girl who is as sweet as can be!

I made these dresses for 4-year old Julianna, who like her little sister Brooklyn are like "adopted grand-daughters" to me :)    Recently when I gave her some shorts and tops I had made for her, she politely asked, "Mrs. Pam, will you please make me some more pretty dresses?"   That little voice went straight to my heart, and the result is the dress you see above, and the one below...

The bright and happy little dress was made with a pattern from the summer 2011 issue of Ottobre Design. I "tweaked" the design a little bit to suit my mood at the moment I was cutting it out...adding a pocket and making the skirt fuller by adding a piece of coordinating fabric.

Next, between sewing shirts for my clients, and filling orders for interfacing...I need to make some new "pretties" for Julianna's little sister, and something nice for their mommy too! And just maybe I'll have a little time left to sew for myself...

Sewing Notes:  Both dresses are made from lightweight 100% cotton fabrics. Bodice facings are interfaced with "ProSheer Elegance" Fusible Interfacing from Fashion Sewing Supply.

Some sewing going on...

 

Sometimes, when I am in the midst of meticulous sewing of custom shirts for my clients...I need a break. So I steal a bit of time from my schedule to whip up some cute clothes for the 2 little girls in my life, Julianna and Brooklyn. This set features slightly re-designed versions of Ottobre Patterns from Issue 3/2009...for Brooklyn, age 21 months.  Cotton/lycra knit was used for the cropped leggings, and Kaffe Fasset cotton fabric was used for the Tunic.

I really like the color combinations...but now wonder if it might be too "sophisticated" for a toddler. 

What do you think?

A fun Dress for a Lovely Little Girl...

It was so much much fun to sew this dress for my "adopted grand-daughter" Julianna, age 4.  

I modified an Ottobre Design pattern from the 01/09 issue to make this style. 

And if spring ever arrives here near Buffalo NY, she'll be able to wear it without a top and leggings !

Happy Sewing....

Recovering from surgery while waiting for pathology reports is very stressful. So I decided a simple "happy" sewing project was just the thing to brighten my mood.  These bright fabrics from my stash made me smile the entire time I was working with them!

I hope that my 4-year old little friend Julianna and her mommy like this very "happy" set.  The peasant top is from a pattern by an Etsy Seller, Whimsy Couture. I highly recommend her patterns.  The pants are a basic style from Ottobre Design, that I modified by changing the pant leg width and adding ruffle embellishment.

A Little Retro...

 I have been having such fun sewing for my 2 little friends... Julianna age 3, and her sister Brooklyn, age 9 months!
This set for Julianna was meant to have a  retro look.  Made with soft cottons fabrics, I  re-designed basic Ottobre Design patterns to achieve what I think is a very sweet set.

Sneaky Sewing..shh....

While others were busy packing 75+ interfacing orders that must be shipped on Tuesday...I sneaked away to save my sanity with a simple, quick little sewing project. This pink batik top was made from the Romeo & Mae "Milla" pattern, made for my sweet little friend, Julianna, age 3.  Yes, it is simple enough that I could have drafted it myself...but..when I see something on Etsy, I don't think it is right to copy another designer's entire concept. So I bought the pattern.

However, this time I think I could have done a  better job of drafting this style.  Well, maybe that is a bit unfair. Let's just say I would have drafted it differently.  Why?  The facings are the same for front and back, and little tucks must be made for the facing to fit the front. In my opinion, this made the front neckline quite bulky.

So, for this design, I made some changes. First I shortened the pattern to make a Top, Then along with lowering the neckline by about 1/2", I made the front inset wider, and drafted separate facings for the back and front. I also added a banded hem and finished off the top by adding a flower with a beaded center. That just about sums up my changes. Basically it is a good pattern, but I think more advanced sewists would also choose to redraft the facings.

Uh-oh...someone noticed I was gone!  I better get back to work..hey wait a minute, I'm the "boss"! LOL!


SEWING NOTES: Cotton Batik fabric from Fabric.com, facings interfaced with PRO-SHEER ELEGANCE Fusible Interfacing from ~Fashion Sewing Supply~

What I'm Sewing...

I have been sewing for 2 darling little girls :)
The first top/tunic is made from Amy Butler cotton fabric for 8-month old Brooklyn.  It is #3, Ottobre Issue 01/08. The blue outfit, also for Brooklyn,  is a quick little set made from lightweight cotton woven. The pants are #6 from Ottobre Issue 04/09, Top is #1, from Ottobre Issue 01/08.  I added a "euro-ruffle" to the bottom of the tunic for some extra detail.

A cute little dress...

I really needed a break from all the paperwork and website work that is covering my desk.  So I decided to make this sweet dress for my little friend Julianna, age 3.

I saw a pattern for a top exactly like this at That*Darn*Kat on Etsy, and first thought "That's so simple, I can draft it myself!"  Then I had second thoughts. I decided that it just isn't right for me to copy a designer's hard work, so I bought the pattern. The pattern is designed as a top, so I just lengthened it to make this dress.  I plan to make many more.  This pattern is very fast and easy to sew, with excellent step-by-step instructions and color photographs.

Back to copying patterns.  I have "borrowed" design details that I've seen on pattern photographs many times....never intending for my finished garment to look exactly like my inspiration.  This time I bought the pattern because I wanted to make a garment as close as possible to the original. I also wanted to support an Etsy seller.  And while I think it's OK to get inspiration from others' patterns, it is my opinion that it's not right to try to copy them exactly.  So if you like this dress, the pattern is available as a top at That*Darn*Kat.

Draft a Fast and Easy Flounce !

I made this velour tunic for my niece this morning.
It is a variation of an Ottobre Design pattern (from issue 4-2006, #25),
and the pattern already included pieces for the flounces.

However, you can easily add a flounce to any pattern by drafting it yourself !

I'll be using a sleeve pattern that includes seam allowances in this example of how to draft a flounce. First, make a copy of the sleeve pattern  to which you will be adding the flounce. Next decide how wide you want the flounce to be, and shorten the pattern from the bottom by that amount then ADD on a 1/4-inch. This extra 1/4-inch is what you'll need to sew the flounce to the bottom of the sleeve.  Now, using the newly shortened bottom of the sleeve as a guide, draw a simple rectangle that measures the length of the sleeve bottom by the width of the flounce you want PLUS a 1/2-inch (This rectangle will become your flounce pattern after some manipulation). Again, this extra 1/2-inch is what you'll need to sew the flounce to the sleeve with 1/4-inch left-over to hem the flounce itself.   The photo below shows these steps already completed.  It may sound a little complicated, but all that's been done so far is to...
Shorten the sleeve length and add a seam allowance to it.   Make a rectangle and add a seam and hem allowance to it.

Now take your rectangular piece, and draw lines on it  that are about an inch apart, as shown below--

Next, cut along these lines, leaving a "hinge" of uncut paper along the top edge like this--

Place this slashed piece on top of another larger piece of blank paper. Now spread the slashes apart by about 1/4-inch, holding them down with tape as you go, as shown below-

Now trace over your newly formed flounce pattern, truing the curves as you go. Now we have a fast and easy flounce pattern...with the seam and hem allowances included...ready to add some design flair to the bottom of a sleeve !

Of course, you can repeat the same steps to add a flounce to any edge, like the bodice hem in the sewn example of the velour tunic at the beginning of this tutorial.

More sneaky Sewing...

Yes, yes...I know...I should be doing so many other things (like Japanese shirt sewing) !   But this morning I just felt like sewing something very fun, very quick, and very easy  :)

 

This is the "Dots T-shirt" from the new 06/09 Ottobre Design issue, style #29. This one was made from a soft medium weight cotton/lycra knit for my 10-yr old niece, Willow.
 

Of course, I can never just leave a pattern be without adding or changing something...so...
In order to get as much gathering in the center panel as I wanted, I added an inch to the length of the panel as I was cutting it out. Willow has long arms, but the sleeves on this pattern are very, very long...meant to be worn over the hand. After the shirt was sewn, I realized that Willow, as neat as she is...is still a child :)  So to bring the sleeves up I stitched clear elastic onto the seam allowances stretching it slightly as I sewed.  To finish the neckline, I sewed a folded band to the neck, then stitched the edge for a loose ruffled look.  The hems were also zig-zag stitched, letting the pressure of the foot create soft rippled edges.


I can already envision other ways to make this top...different fabrics...perhaps a woven fabric for the shirred panel, perhaps a sheer knit or lace. Oh I have so many ideas...if only I had as much time !

Sneaky Sewing

I managed to sneak away to sew (YAY!) even though I should have been doing other things...

This top for my 10 yr old niece Willow started with a basic t-shirt pattern that I changed to arrive at this design. In addition to curving the hem, I added double sleeves and solid pink curved bodice insets to both the front and back. All the edges were left raw, then just stretched and zig-zagged to "lettuce" (ruffle) them.

Playing with transfers again........a "Gathered Strap" Tank Top

These heat transfers are just too much fun!

I made this a few days ago for my niece Willow. Starting with a simple tank-top pattern, I ran a line of hand stitching across one "strap", gathered it, and then secured the stitching on the wrong side. Of course, this was done after the transfer was applied.

The transfer graphic was rendered at www.typogenerator.net from a melange of words.."Willow, Peace, Swim, Water, Love, Smile"
I printed it onto a sheet of T-Shirt Transfer Paper that you can get at office supply or craft stores, and applied it according to the directions.

I haven't seen my nieces in several months...but tomorrow my sister, her husband, and the girls are coming for a visit. I am so excited about seeing them...I sure hope that they like their new tops!

"Twisted Shoulder" Tattoo Tank Top

This fun and funky top was made for my niece Bella, age 8.
Sadly, she has out-grown ruffles...sigh...

I started by using one of the iron-on transfers from the book "Tattoo Tees" (see post below for book details).

After the "Tattoo" was set, I cut out Ottobre Design Pattern #13, from the 04/07 issue. It is just a flared T-shirt top. I decided to omit the sleeves, and to add a little twist detail to one shoulder:

To allow for the twist, I added 1/2" in length to one front shoulder as I was cutting it out. Next I sewed the UN-twisted front shoulder seam to its matching back shoulder...then finished the armholes, neckline and hem with the serger because I wanted a very casual look for this top. The other front shoulder was twisted once (maybe twice...I just twisted it until it looked "right"). The remaining shoulder seams were then sewn as usual, Right Sides Together.

This top was fun and fast to sew...about 45 minutes from start to finish!

A Top...with a "Tattoo"

This top for my niece Willow was such fun to make!

Inspired by a post on Stacy's Blog quite a long time ago, I purchased the book "Tattoo Tees". It is a Leisure Arts book, IBSN- 978-1-60140-766-5


The book has several transfers, meant to resemble "tattoos". What I really like about these transfers is that they are shaded, intended to look like they've faded over time.

So, after I had sewn a quick knit top based on an Ottobre pattern that, when finished looked so...very...boring, I applied one of the transfers. I think it gives the top just enough panache to please a hip kid.

Lindsay asked:
"... how did you get this to look so perfect? My iron-on attempts always look sloppy."

It helps that this iron-on is not meant to look perfect, LOL! And I was lucky that this kid-size top fit on my ironing board...I didn't have to reposition anything in the middle of pressing. Also, instead of just putting paper between the layers of the shirt to prevent "bleed through", I used a piece of heavy card-stock paper (the kind from which I make my pattern blocks). That gave me a nice firm surface on which to press. After I taped the transfer to the shirt with painters' tape, I lowered my ironing board a bit, then really "leaned" onto the iron for extra pressure. All that and some luck gave me a good result :)

A Summer Blouse for Willow

Eventually it will warm up here in upstate New York state, and my 10 yr old niece will be able to wear this sleeveless summer blouse. In the meantime, I think it will layer nicely worn open over a light t-shirt.

This blouse is from an Ottobre Pattern, Issue 02/03, #19...that I modified by adding elastic to the sleeve hems. Here is a close-up of the
"Euro-ruffle" embellishment, an idea shown on the example in the magazine...it was fun and very easy to do--

I cut a 3/4" wide strip of fabric on the bias. The next step was to run a long stitch down the center of the entire length of the strip. After gathering the strip to make a long raw-edge ruffle, I arranged it on the blouse in a random pattern. To secure the ruffle to the shirt, I stitched it down the center with narrow, short, zig-zag stitching. After pulling out the gathering threads, the ruffle embellishment was complete !

SEWING NOTES: Collar and Facings interfaced with PRO-SHEER ELEGANCE FUSIBLE Interfacing from ~Fashion Sewing Supply~ . Cotton Fabric from Fabric.com. Mother-of-Pearl Buttons from my stash.

Dots and Flowers for a Diva...

One of the things I like so much about Ottobre Design Patterns, is how easy it is to make liberal design changes to the basic style.

This top made for my niece Bella, age 8, started with the Cross-over Top, from Ottobre Design Issue 03/04, pattern#9. I modified it by adding center-front shirring, double sleeves...and lots of "lettuce" edging. I had such fun making this simple little top !

Wild Horses for Willow

This outfit was made for my ten year old niece, Willow. She's been wearing it for a few weeks now....and probably will continue to wear it until it warms up around here. That may not be until mid June!

The "horse print" cotton knit fabric was so much fun to work with. Starting with Ottobre Design pattern 01/09, #34, I played with the sleeves, splitting the pattern and adding gathers to the top part. I then shaped the hem, and added twisted trim to the neckline.

Ottobre Design Pants, 03/03, #23, made from Stretch Denim.

Many have asked about the twisted neckline trim that I used on this top.
There are good tutorials about this twisted trim already written, so instead of writing another one, I'll direct you to:
Sigrid's Twisted Trim Tutorial
Liana's Twisted Binding Tutorial